1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retainer for securely packaging and holding an elongated surgical instrument in position within a package.
2. Background of the Art
Various types of instrument retainers are known for surgical items. Retainers are commonly used to prevent damage to, and maintain sterility of, a surgical instrument during shipping and subsequent storage. Further, the retainer facilitates handling and dispensing of surgical items as needles, sutures and other surgical items.
One example of a structure for packaging an elongated surgical instruments is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,410 which discloses a plastic tray having a cavity for receiving the instrument, the tray being covered by a lid. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,884,681 and 4,887,710, both to Roshdy et al. are examples of two prior art packages which disclose a retainer for surgical sutures. The retainer includes a suture winding panel with the panel having a pair of holding panels foldably connected to longitudinal edges of the suture winding panel.
Other suture or needle/suture retainers are exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,572,363; 4,412,614; 4,391,365; 4,135,623; 3,444,994; and 2,692,676, as well as in other U.S. patents.
The construction of a retainer requires the combination of two seemingly opposite properties. On one hand the retainer must securely hold the surgical item to prevent damage and dislodging caused by jostling during transportation, handling and storage of the item. On the other hand, the item should be easily releasable from the retainer by the surgeon or other health care worker. A further desirable feature is that the retainer be economical to manufacture.
The present invention provides a retainer for an elongated surgical instrument which provides the above properties.